The Cats took a beating on the scoreboard in the second of three games against the Lightning. The preseason series between the two Florida clubs looks to wrap up tonight - which will be the Panthers last game before the regular season starts for them on October 14th (woo!).
Looking forward to another bruising affair tonight!
But the big news was yesterday’s re-signing of captain Sasha Barkov to a franchise-record 8-year, $10M per deal.
Widely considered one of the league’s top underrated talents, this is a well-deserved deal for both Barky and the Cats organization. GM Bill Zito has been building something special in Florida since taking the reigns a couple years back. Locking in the team’s skilled captain and fan favorite is a win-win for all sides as the Cats continue their upward momentum and find themselves in legitimate cup conversations - territory they have never really been before.
Fulll NMC begins immediately for next 7 years
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) October 8, 2021
Modified no trade, 16-team list starts in 2028
Teams Would Have Moved Heaven and Earth
Barky’s skill and demeanor have been a staple of the Panthers since being drafted in 2013. This contract is his big pay day/reward for years of service to a non-traditional market team that was oft-trending in the wrong direction and the butt end of many golf jokes.
And with this contract comes an expectation from the fans. We expect that solid play to continue, and with it, taking that next step of growth to becoming a difference-maker every night - being able to take a game over regardless of the situation and achieving that superstar status and ,ending this team to its first Stanley Cup.
At only 26, we look forward to many more years of Barky wizardry!
Past, present, future.@barkovsasha95’s South Florida story continues 🌴 pic.twitter.com/LXzxP3Rmfe
— Florida Panthers (@FlaPanthers) October 8, 2021
BTW - How funny is that shot of him in the above video with the sledgehammer? Some serious Triple H vibes. Haha.
Now the next step is figuring out how to re-sign Huby…
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Since we spent some time talking about the current captain…how about throwing it back to this awesome old picture of Skruds? Go Panthers!